telechick 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Being pretty new to teles I`ve just generally thought I sucked, but now that I:ve been going without the monster packs and doing the resort skiing, man, It`s so easy... to bad it means that your not in the middle of nowhere with no one around but a couple of friends and unending mountains. hmm. wish there were a middle ground. Link to post Share on other sites
miteyak 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Yeah, an overnight pack makes a hellova difference... very humbling Middle ground would be a day pack/day trip methinks. The options for really getting somewhere wild in a day are at their peak here in japan early and late season, as access roads open up. I used to take the mountain bike along to get as high as possible before skinning up. As the huts open too, expensive but lightweight trips become easier. Link to post Share on other sites
CmWebb 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Norikura offers a fairly good middle ground. You just take the lift as far up as you can. and then start hiking. It's about 2.5-3 hours to the top. If you get the resort map they actually have the trail marked on it. It shows up as a little squigly line going up through the tree line. Chris. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Skiing with a huge pack sucks. I fell down on my alpine touring gear with a 40 lb bag and couldn't get back up without taking the bag off. How long is Norikura open. I want to ski up ther in April or late march. Link to post Share on other sites
john_g 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Norikura is open pretty much all year (permanent snow). From Golden Week you can catch a bus up to about half way between the peak and the ski area. A few years ago a mate and I went up : plenty of snow up high and lots of people. There wasn't enough snow to snowboard back to the ski area parking so we ended up waiting for the bus - about an hour or so. Good fun overall though. I keep meaning to go back late Winter though. Don't forget the sunscreen - I did and ended up with suppurating blisters over most of my face. Link to post Share on other sites
Teledude 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Ok, so where the hell is Norikura? I want to go. Also near me, Gassan doesn't open up until April. Haven't been there yet but will go as soon as the road opens up enough to get in. Link to post Share on other sites
Teledude 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Oh yeah, skiing with a huge pack SUCKS! A good midsize daypack works well. IF you ski camp, pull a sled. Much easier on the back although still difficult, much more comfortable. Personally, I usually have stayed in huts or yurts. In Colorado it's cheap and pretty easy. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 you dont need to hike 3 to 5 hours to ski big peaks guys. Norikura is nice but look at your maps and you will find nicer easier lines and steeper. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 he said 2.5-3hrs! but why not? sounds like fun, but not something that I'd do every weekend! Link to post Share on other sites
CmWebb 0 Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I'd like to try some other peaks as so far it's the only one I've done. I've gone up it about four times this year so I am definatley in need of variety if anyone knows of some other good ones. As for Norikura, its past Matsumoto next to kamikochi. There are two ways of getting there as far as I know. Either from the Kiso valley and follow the signs to Kamikochi until you see the turn of for Norikura or from Mtsumoto and follow the signs from Kamikochi again. Chris Link to post Share on other sites
miteyak 0 Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 You can also get through from Gifu, tunnel under to Kamikochi and continue down the valley. Shin hotaka ropeway'd be a goodie. The resort below is now closed, so lots of room, no groomers. Also short hike to the hut and then the kamikochi playground awaits... Link to post Share on other sites
IM 0 Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Majority of Japan classic routes are day trips, with some overnight options. For close to Tokyo routs are Hotaka Oguna, Kagura, and Tenjin. And you can count much more if Nagano and Fukushima are included. I typically pack my day stuff in 25-30L pack, usually that is more than enough. Powder Guide, the new mag. shows good details on some of the more famous routs. Link to post Share on other sites
john_g 0 Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 Miteyak, you said the ski area below the Hotaka ropeway is now closed : is that permanently? Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites
miteyak 0 Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I think so. I heard it second hand (ahem) after recommending it to someone visiting the area! Link to post Share on other sites
powda tele 0 Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Hey Telechick. Certainly getting out on day trips with a smaller/lighter pack makes a HUGE difference. Trust me. Been there done that. I still haul big sometimes, but not too often. I used to take a mid-size pack with all the extra safety gear for big day trips. I've trimmed it down for smaller day trips and I'm surprised how small and light my pack is. Of course, I still take essential emergency and avo stuff. Lighten up (litterally) and enjoy the ride (no pun intended, but it does seem to fit). Link to post Share on other sites
crazyski 0 Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 yeah, looking forward to some backcountry trips this spring. I'm still pretty new to the tele game, and compared to 20 years of alpine experience, 2 years of teles is always humbling, even on the resort. Can't wait to flail and try to get up with a 50 pound pack...YAY! And TELEDUDE, Norikura is awfully close to ASAHIMURA. There's only one of those in Japan, right? Link to post Share on other sites
Teledude 0 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I should hope so. There's a plethora of other Asahi's though. I'm in Yamagata. Where I am we've been getting snow but rain on some days which means sunken ice layers underneath. But today is constant rain. Link to post Share on other sites
Big Feet 0 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Teledude Where have you been going in Yamagata? Shonai doesn't have that much to offer I heard! Do you go to Akita? Link to post Share on other sites
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